Panic attacks
by RoseMcSwarekBraddock
Summary: I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending of s2e7, so I made my own. Enjoy! Christina WHUMP.


**DISCLAIMER: I (sadly) don't own anything except the plot.**

**This is my first Hawthorne fanfic, but I hope I still got it right. Big fan of Christina and Tom. Enjoy!**

Christina closed the door behind her and leaned against it. Slowly she sled down until she was sitting on the floor. She closed her eyes.

"Mom? Are you okay?" Camille asked and watched her mother as she opened her eyes again.

"Yes, honey, I'm fine." she lied. Camille came closer and took another look at her mom's face.

"You sure? You don't look fine to me." she said. There were dark circles under Christina's eyes, and she looked like she was on the wedge of crying.

"Yes I'm sure."

"Good. Listen, mom, we've gotta talk." Christina sighed and got up from the floor.

"Yeah. Sure. I just need to use the restroom first." she said and made her way to the bathroom. She couldn't hold her tears back much longer, neither could she let Camille see them.

Camille just moved out of the way and watched as her mother entered the bathroom and finally shut the door behind her.

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As soon as she had shut the door, Christina couldn't hold the tears back anymore. She closed her eyes as they slowly leaked under her eyelids. A sob escaped her mouth.

Tom had cheated on her. Tom who said that he loved her. Tom who asked her to marry him. Had cheated on her. With Erin.

Finally, the dam that had been holding her tears back broke, and she slumped against the wall again, sobbing.

Tom who'd been so sweet to her. Tom who had the guts to tell her when she was wrong. Tom who kissed Erin back.

She couldn't get the picture of them kissing out of her mind. The sobs were getting louder, violently shaking her body. There was a pounding at the door.

"Mom? Mom! Are you sure you're okay?" Camille asked.

"Just give me... Just give me a minute, okay?" Christina yelled back, interrupted by her sobs. She could hear someone leaning against the wall in the other room.

"What happened, mom?"

"Nothing. I'm okay." she answered and put her fist in her mouth to stop the sobs.

"Did something happen to Tom?" As Camille mentioned Tom, she saw the picture of him and Erin, together, again. Her breath started to speed up and her throat felt sore. There was a thunder noise in her ears that she couldn't place.

She decided to get a glass of water from the kitchen and rose from the floor. As she opened the door, her vision started to blur. She leaned against the door frame and tried to slow her breath down. She could not faint in front of Camille.

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Camille was sitting on the floor when the door opened and her mother stood in the doorway. She quickly rose and looked at her mother. Christina was staring at a spot on the wall, but she didn't seem to be able to focus her vision. She was pale and breathing hard and fast, as if she was drowning.

"Mom?" she asked, unsure of what she should do.

Then, suddenly, Christina fell to the side, bumping her head on a dresser and then falling to the ground, hitting her head and arm.

"Mom!" Camille shouted and ran to her mother's side.

"Mom! Wake up! Come on, look at me!"

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Tom was driving aimlessly around town. He thought about what he'd done to Christina. He wasn't proud about Erin kissing him, and he certainly wasn't proud about throwing it in Christina's face. He wondered if she'd ever be able to forgive him.

When he started to recognise the neighbourhood, he stopped the car and dropped his head in his hands. Apparently his subconsciousness wanted him to go to Christina.

He'd been angry with her, rightfully so, and he'd hurt her. Much more than she'd hurt him.

His phone started ringing. He looked at the screen. Christina. He considered not answering, but figured that he owed her that.

"Yes?" He answered briskly, expecting Christina's voice.

"Tom? Please, help me!"

"Camille? What happened? And why do you have you mother's phone? Is Christina okay?"

"No, she's not. She isn't moving. Mom! Please, mom, wake up!" The fear for her almost paralysed him.

"Camille! Calm down. What happened? I am on my way."

"Hurry. She was in the bathroom, crying." He felt the guilt rising in his chest again. He'd made Christina cry. Strong, powerful Christina who almost never cried. "Then she opened the door and stood in the door frame, panting. Then she fainted... Oh my god Tom, why did she faint? I think she bumped her head pretty hard. Hurry, please Tom!"

He started the car and drove towards her house.

"I'll be there in five minutes. Have you called 911?" he asked with panic in his voice. He rounded another corner and almost sled of the road, but he wasn't even thinking about slowing down. He drove like he'd never driven before.

"Yes. They said an ambulance would be here in 15 minutes. They're all called to some big accident in another part of town." Camille sobbed.

"Hold on, Camille, hold on. Can you check if she has a pulse and if she's breathing for me, please?" he said, beating himself up because he hadn't though of that before. There was a pause and Tom held his breath until Camille spoke again.

"She has a pulse, it's kinda weak but it's there. And she's breathing, Tom." He slowly let his breath out.

"Good. Good. Listen, I'm gonna be there in 30 seconds, okay? I'm gonna hang up now, but call me if anything happens. Anything at all. Okay?"

"Okay." He hung up the phone and the car went utterly silent. His foot stepped even harder on the accelerator. Then the phone rand again. He quickly answered.

"Camille? Are you okay?"

"No, it's Erin. So... I've got reservations at my favourite restaurant for tonight. You wanna come?" she asked with a flirtatious voice.

"I can't talk right now, Erin." he said and hung up the phone. Again.

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Soon, he was pulling up in Christina's driveway. He ran to the door, entered the house, which was strangely quiet except Camille's sobbing, and through the living room.

"Christina? Camille?" he shouted.

"Here!" Camille answered, running towards him. She took him by his jacket and dragged him to the bathroom.

Christina was laying just outside the bathroom door. Her arm was bent in a strange, unnatural angle and her eyes were closed. A big bruise was forming on the side of her head. She was paler than he'd ever seen her before.

"Christina..." he whimpered and knelt beside her.

"Come on, Tom! Help her!" Camille said, shaking him. He snapped out of his trance like state and began to assess the situation.

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Camille saw Tom kneeling in front of her mother. She saw the tears in his eyes. It was obvious that he wasn't thinking clearly. She took him by his shoulders, shook him, and firmly told to help her mother. He seemed to snap out of his trance and knelt beside her once again.

His mumbling of latin words calmed her down a bit. He said something that she didn't understand.

"Camille!" She winced.

"Huh?"

"I asked you if you cancelled that ambulance."

"No... I don't think so."

"Good." he said and took one of her mother's hands as he leaned against the wall and sled down like she'd done before.

"There's nothing I can do for her here. We've got to wait for the medics." he said and closed his eyes. Camille sighed and sat beside him.

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Christina tried to open her eyes, but they were too heavy. Her head felt like it would explode any minute.

"Camille? Tom?" she mumbled. Then she remembered. Tom cheated on her.

"Camille?" she asked again.

"I'm right here, mom. And so is Tom." Camille answered with a trembling voice. Christina felt that someone was holding her hand. Slowly, she tried to open her eyes again. This time it worked although her head felt like exploding again. Tom was the one holding her hand.

"I'm so sorry, Christina. I am so so sorry." he said and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"Was it true. What you said. Was it true?" she asked and felt that a tear was making its way down her cheek. Tom leaned down again and kissed it away.

"Partly. She did kiss me, although I did not kiss her back." he said. Christina sighed.

"It's okay. Can you help me? I want to sit." she said and pulled her hand out of his. He put a hand to her chest to prevent her from rising.

"Hey, hey, just lie down, okay? You scared us pretty badly there. Just wait for the medics, okay?" Tom looked worryingly down on her, and soon Camille was hovering above her as well.

"Guys, I don't need an ambulance, okay? I just had a panic attack. I get them. Please, just let me sit." she asked pleadingly.

"Since when do you get panic attacks?" Camille asked with raised eyebrows.

"I've had them before. Ask Bobby. Just let me get up, Tom." Christina was getting a little angry.

"Come on, Christina, you now I can't let you do that. You bumped your head pretty badly, you know?" Tom said. Christina gave up the struggle and let her head rest again. Not because she thought he was right, but because her head hurt too much.

"When did you have a panic attack?" Camille asked again. Christina looked away.

"Christina?" Tom asked.

"The day Tom had his surgery. I fainted in the ER." she admitted quietly and closed her eyes. She was so tired.

"Come on, babe, stay with us now. Open your eyes." Tom said. She opened her eyes and looked into his.

"That's why you didn't drive me to the surgery, wasn't it?" he realised. She nodded slowly, but immediately regretted that she did as a new wave of pain races through her head.

"Mom? Are you okay?" Camille asked. Her voice was trembling again.

"Yes, honey. I'm just fine." she lied.

"Why didn't you come after? When it was over?" Tom asked and Christina could hear the hurt in his voice.

"First, I was afraid. Afraid of losing you and afraid of another panic attack. Then I saw her in the room with you, and I just couldn't..."

"It's okay. We're gonna get through this."

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There was a pounding on the door and Camille got up to look what it was. Christina heard her talking to someone.

"She's right here." Camille said and pointed at Christina. She slowly moved her head to see who it was. The pain raced through every part of her, but she could now see that there were two medics standing in front of her.

"Hi." she said. The medics seemed to recognise her.

"Nurse Hawthorne." one of them said as sat beside her, taking her pulse.

"We're gonna take good care of you." the other one said. They put their arms underneath her, and she winced as someone touched her arm. She couldn't hold a little scream back as they lifted her and her arm was dangling under her.

"Mom?" Camille said and Christina bit her lip so the other scream that was building up inside her didn't slip out.

"I'm okay." she said with a choked voice.

"Yes, I'm sure you are." Tom said sarcastically. The medics had now gotten her on a gurney. Camille had to put a hand in front of her mouth not to scream as she saw her mothers face. One half was covered by a dark bruise. Tom just took the hand that didn't hurt and squeezed it slightly.

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The room was quiet. Every two hours, a nurse came in, woke Christina up and let them go back to sleep. Camille was sleeping next to her mother in Christina's bed. Christina was also sleeping, one of her hands interlaced with his own.

Tom looked at Christina's sleeping face. She was beautiful, and looked so peaceful. She had a concussion, but that would heal in a few days. She also broke her arm, it was in a cast, but that would also heal.

He put his head next to Christina's on the pillow and closed his eyes.

**I hope you enjoyed and I just wanted to remind you to review. I love reviews :). And follows. And favourites.**


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